U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh continues to inspire opposition. He ascended to the United States’ highest court in a storm of controversy, credibly accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Although he appeared before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to answer to the allegations, he never faced any real consequences and the GOP voted him into his present position.
Some witches in New York have had enough. At Catland Books in Brooklyn, which has hosted similar events in the past, there’s an event planned for this coming Saturday featuring a ritual to hex Kavanaugh.
The ritual will feature him as a center of attention but by no means the only one, also marketed as an opportunity to act on collective rage at the societal machine that’s wrought the epidemic of sexual misconduct and abuse brought to light in part by the “#MeToo” movement. Women, of course, have been well aware of the issue the whole time — however, some (hardly all) abusers are finally beginning to face some accountability for their actions.
The weekend event planned to hold Kavanaugh accountable for his actions features charity donations to a local community center for homeless LGBT youth and Planned Parenthood drawn from the $10 ticket costs. The event’s public listing does note, though, that no one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
After all, organizers have made it very clear that they’re aiming to put on an inclusive event.
Event organizer Dakota Bracciale told TIME Magazine:
‘We wanted to have an act of resistance. It’s about having space for survivors of sexual assault who are not going to be silent and who don’t want Brett Kavanaugh to serve as a symbol of defeat.’
The corresponding EventBrite listing invites readers:
‘Please join us for a public hex on Brett Kavanaugh and upon all rapists and the patriarchy which emboldens, rewards and protects them. We will be embracing witchcraft’s true roots as the magik of the poor, the downtrodden and disenfranchised and its history as often the only weapon, the only means of exacting justice available to those of us who have been wronged by men just like him.’
The organizers draw on a wellspring of opposition to the new Supreme Court justice in forming their plans.
Large numbers of protesters descended on Washington, D.C., to make their opposition known. By and large, however, the GOP dismissed their concerns, claiming the demonstrators to have been paid (they weren’t).
High profile protest moments included a confrontation between Arizona Republican Jeff Flake and two survivors of sexual assault, who tore into him for having recently announced support for the judge. He ended up pushing for a renewed FBI investigation into Kavanaugh’s background over the allegations, but that inquiry was limited and widely decried as a sham.
Through all these developments, at least one Republican has chosen to hang onto the witches’ efforts as the most worrying.
Women for Trump’s Amy Kremer claimed the present to be a “scary time” for Republicans because of the witches, with little apparent ultimate regard for the actual sexual assault victims in this scenario.
Featured image via YouTube screenshot
